Posts from category "Meditations 2020"
When I awakened this morning my mind was instantly flooded with verses and truths from God’s Word. It almost seemed like a carry-over from my dreams while I was sleeping. Almighty God, the Holy Spirit, my loving Teacher, was illuminating – shining the light brighter than ever before on those truths.
Psalm 1 is the wisdom Psalm which describes two lives. There are only two – a life with God or a life without God. Every person, everywhere is living one or the other of these two lives.
Let me tell you a story which formed in my mind. There was a large successful bank and the manager was admired far and wide because of his integrity. He was honest right down to the tiniest scruple and everyone knew it. He was known as Honest John. One night there was a robbery at the bank. Somehow, someone had been able to disarm the alarm system and get into the vault. Hundreds of thousands of dollars had been taken. Of course the police were called and the bank officers did their own internal investigation. When all the clues were gathered and there was no room for doubt – stunned shock! The robber was the son of Honest John. His father, the bank manager, said the same thing to police – court – judge. Don’t charge him because I love him so I’ve forgiven him. You know the response of the law. A crime has been committed and justice must be administered. Your love can do nothing to obtain forgiveness for him.
It had been a place of ultimate beauty and perfection but now Eden was closed to all humans. God drove Adam and Eve out of Eden and a cherubim with a flaming sword guarded the way (Genesis 3:24) to the tree of life. Why was that necessary? Because (Matthew 11:12) violent men try to seize by force the kingdom of heaven – trying by their own efforts to regain perfection. But the King of the kingdom of heaven said – I am the DOOR, I am the WAY, I am the only ENTRY. We and this world will never be perfect but groan, fall and fail (Romans 8:22) until REDEMPTION. Between the locked gates of Eden and redemptive restoration there had to be a CROSS. For us who have come through the gateway of the Cross into eternal life, what did God mean when He (Matthew 5:48) told us to be perfect? James dangles a carrot (3:2) by telling us that anyone who controls his tongue is a perfect person. But then he snatches it away (Vs:9) by declaring that no one can control his tongue. Take a look at some of the well-knowns in Scripture:
My continual prayer is for growing holy fear, deepening reverential awe, more wonder and adoration-filled worship. I have been startled by some of the thoughts that are coming to me. For some of them, I have little or no understanding but I do not have the slightest difficulty in believing them. The things I have put in the form of a question may not have an answer I can grasp but perhaps gain some further insight from the Holy Spirit.